Fillan's, St.

FILLAN'S, ST., a village, in the parish of Comrie,
county of Perth; containing 172 inhabitants. It is a
beautiful and romantic place, situated on the north
side of Loch Earn, and consists of a number of wellbuilt houses, rendered of pleasing appearance by shrubberies in front. Here was established some years since
the St. Fillan's Society, holding annual meetings for the
encouragement of Highland games and dress. A school
is supported by Lord Willoughby de Eresby, who allows
the teacher a salary of £20, and a dwelling-house and
garden. On the summit of Dun-Fillan hill is a rock
known as St. Fillan's Chair, and two small cavities are
said to have been made by the saint, the impression of
his knees from his constant habit of prayer.

Finavon

FINAVON, or Finhaven, Forfar.—See Oathlaw.

Findhorn

FINDHORN, a burgh and sea-port town, in the
parish of Kinloss, county of Elgin, 4 miles (N. by E.)
from Forres; containing 806 inhabitants. This place, the
name of which signifies "the mouth of the Erne," stands
on the northern boundary of the county, and near the
river Erne, or Findhorn, which expands into a capacious bay called Loch Findhorn, on the west of the
town, and communicates by a narrow strait with the
Moray Frith. It is a burgh of barony, the sea-port of
Forres, and the property of H. A. I. Munro, Esq.; it
is inhabited chiefly by fishermen, seafaring persons,
and a few merchants and tradespeople, and is the seat
of a very considerable traffic. This is the third town
of the same name, the first, which stood about a mile
west of the bar at the mouth of the harbour, and the
second, a little to the north of the present town, having
both been washed away by the sea. Even now, only a
small space, containing a broken bank of sand, intervenes between the tide-mark and the north end of the
town, forming the sole rampart against the tremendous
swell occasioned by north-easterly winds; and this is
sometimes so torn and drifted by hurricanes, that the
sand covers the streets and gardens to the depth of
ten or twelve feet, threatening the town with destruction at no distant period. The river, affording fine
trout-angling, and famed for its romantic scenery, rises
in the mountains near Badenoch, and, after a serpentine
and impetuous course of about sixty miles from the
south-west, through the counties of Inverness, Nairn,
and Elgin, often carrying, in rainy seasons, desolation
to the neighbouring crops, expands into the bay already
referred to, and joins the Frith.

Findhorn is one of the safest harbours on the coast;
it measures in length, from the bar at the north to its
southern limit, three and a half miles, the breadth varying from a little more than half a mile to two miles.
There are two quays of hewn stone, one of which was
recently erected with a breast-work, by which it is
joined to the old pier, at an expense of upwards of
£1300; superior accommodation is afforded for shipping, and the depth of water in the channel, where most
shallow, is ten and a half feet at the lowest neap tide, and
from thirteen to seventeen at high tide. A considerable
part of the bay is dry at low water; but the river, in
some places half a mile broad, has, at the lowest ebb of
stream tides, from twelve to fifteen feet of water, in
which the largest vessels can float in safety. The earth
and sand bank at the entrance, called the bar, and by
some supposed to be a portion of the land encroached
upon by the sea, would prove dangerous from its shifting with strong floods or easterly winds; but the pilots
understand its nature so well, that an accident is
scarcely ever heard of. The fisheries pursued are those
of salmon, herrings, and haddock, which are carried on
with great spirit, and prove a source of considerable
emolument to the proprietors: about sixty men are
engaged, who follow their avocation in large boats
carrying several persons and from eight to ten tons'
weight of fish. The salmon-fishery produces annually, on an average, about six hundred boxes of fish,
each valued at £5, and sent, packed in ice, to the
London market: the herring-fishery, which has been
carried on for above twenty years, has for a long time
supplied 20,000 barrels every year; and the haddock-fishery is valued at £2000. There are twelve vessels
belonging to the port, together registered at 1000
tons, and occupied in an extensive coasting-trade. The
imports comprise great quantities of Sunderland and
Newcastle coal, and lime from the same places; coal
from the Frith of Forth, slates from Ballichulish, iron
from Wales and Staffordshire, salt from Liverpool, and
large supplies of bone-dust for manure. The exports
for provincial use consist of herrings, grain, eggs, and
about 2000 loads of timber every year from the forests
of Darnaway and Altyre. The port is also visited by
foreign vessels, bringing iron, timber, and tar from
the Baltic, and timber from British North America;
and there are regular trading smacks from London,
Leith, and Liverpool, with cargoes for Forres, Elgin,
and Nairn. A very good turnpike-road runs from
Findhorn to Forres, between which places there is a
daily post; and from this road a branch diverges at the
bridge of Kinloss, eastward to Burgh-Head and Elgin.
Fairs are held in the town for the sale of sheep, blackcattle, and horses, on the second Wednesday in March,
July, and October, O. S. An Assembly's school was till
lately supported, the master of which had a salary of
£20, and about £12 fees, with an allowance of £10
from Mr. Munro, of Novar, in lieu of land and other
accommodations: a school-room and a house for the
master were built a few years since, at a cost of £160,
raised by subscription and public collections. This
school is now maintained from the funds of the Free
Church, and is in strict connexion with it.

Findochty

FINDOCHTY, a village, in the parish of Rathven,
county of Banff, 2½ miles (N. E. by E.) from Buckie;
containing 414 inhabitants. This is a fishing-village on
the coast of the Moray Frith, a short distance from Findochty point, and a mile and a half north-east of Rathven. It was founded in 1716, on the property of the
then Earl of Findlater. The fishery here is very extensive, affording employment to nearly the whole of the
male population, whose reputation for the superior cure
of herrings and other fish has been maintained for
upwards of a century. About forty boats, chiefly of the
larger size, belong to the place.

Findogask

FINDOGASK, Perth.—See Gask, Nether.

Findon

FINDON, or Finnan, a village, in the parish of
Banchory-Devenick, county of Kincardine, 6½ miles
(S. by W.) from Aberdeen; containing 190 inhabitants.
This is a fishing-village, situated on the eastern coast,
near Girdleness, and having a small harbour; it is celebrated for the finely-flavoured fish called the "Finnan
haddock," which are caught here, and cured in a peculiar manner, by the smoke of peat. So delicate is this
fish that it can rarely be sold fresh, in an undepreciated
condition, at the distance of Edinburgh. Several boats,
and a large portion of the inabitants, are engaged in the
fishery, and, in the summer season, in that of herrings
in the Moray Frith.

Finnieston

FINNIESTON, a village and western suburb, within
the jurisdiction of the city of Glasgow, county of Lanark; containing 2096 inhabitants. This place, which
forms part of Anderston, was commenced by the founder of that district on a plan laid down by his chaplain,
the Rev. Mr. Finnie, from whom it derived its name;
it consists of several streets, crossing each other at
right angles. The houses are well built, with garden
ground attached to each, and stretch northward from
the banks of the Clyde, on which are some handsome
villas, occupied by the opulent merchants and manufacturers of the city, and which, from their elevated site,
command pleasingly interesting views. In the village
is a spacious manufactory of cut-glass, in which many
articles of the most elegant and brilliant quality are
produced. To the east of this place are Grahamston
and Brownfield, formerly distinguished as detached
suburban villages, but now forming an integral part of
the city.

Finnyfold

FINNYFOLD, Aberdeen.—See Whinnie-Fauld.

Fintray

FINTRAY, a parish, in the district and county of
Aberdeen, 2½ miles (E.) from Kintore; containing
1032 inhabitants. This place is said to have derived its
name from a Gaelic term signifying "the fair bank or
boundary of the river." It was formerly celebrated for
its abbey, nothing of which now remains but the foundations; it was called the Northern Abbey of Lindores,
and is supposed to have been erected in 1386, that
date having been found upon a stone thought to have
been, on account of the situation in which it was discovered, a part of the ancient building. The parish
is in that part of Aberdeenshire called Formartin, and
stretches from five to six miles along the bank of the
river Don; it is from three to four miles in breadth,
and contains 6500 acres. It is bounded on the north
and west by the parish of Keith-Hall; on the south by
the Don, which separates it from the parishes of Dyce,
Kinellar, and Kintore; and on the east by New Machar.
The ground rises gradually towards the north to the
height of about 300 feet, after which it forms an easy
declivity. The violent and destructive floods of the
river, which runs from west to east, and falls into the
sea near Old Aberdeen, are among the most remarkable events of modern times connected with the history
of the parish: the first of which account was taken happened in 1768, at harvest time, and carried away the
larger part of the crops from the lower grounds, just as
it was ready to be laid up in stacks. Another inundation took place in August, 1799, and, in addition to a
considerable quantity of hay, swept away much grain then
standing uncut. A still more violent flood occurred on
Aug. 4, 1829, desolating to a great extent the property
of several individuals; the water rose about fourteen
feet above its ordinary level, and nearly eighteen inches
higher than it had done in any former case in memory.
Good embankments, however, have been constructed;
and at Fintray and Wester Fintray, about 300 acres of
land of very fine quality are now protected.

The soil varies considerably; in the neighbourhood
of the river is a deep, rich, alluvial mould, while at some
distance inward the soil is much lighter. On the higher
land it is poor, consisting chiefly of peat-moss and moor;
but in the northern quarter it improves in quality, and
rewards the labour of good cultivation. There are from
5000 to 6000 acres cultivated, or occasionally in tillage;
about 800 are pasture or waste; and between 600 and
700 under wood. The produce is oats, peas, hay, potatoes, sometimes a little barley, and large quantities of
turnips, to the growth of which the soil is well adapted.
The rateable annual value of the parish is £4130. The
cattle are of the Aberdeenshire breed, many of which
are fed and fattened, and the horses are of superior
quality: a few sheep only are reared, and these chiefly
for gentlemen's pleasure-grounds. The improvements
in draining, inclosing, and embanking have been considerable within the last few years; and the farm-houses
and offices are in a far better condition than formerly.
The plantations are in a flourishing state. The prevailing rock is granite, which is found in large quantities,
and of superior quality; limestone may also be obtained,
but fuel is too scarce to admit of the necessary process
for converting it into lime. There is a good residence,
built in the cottage style, upon the lands of Disblair;
but the chief mansion is Fintray House, a large and
excellent edifice lately erected by the chief proprietor
of the parish.

The manufacture of fine woollen-cloth is pursued at
Cothal mills, established in 1798, and regularly carried
on since that period: it produces about 8000 yards per
month. The recent introduction of the manufacture of
Tweed plaid has enabled the proprietor to employ a
considerably larger number of hands than formerly, to
meet the call for an extensive supply of this article, to
the production of which his works are particularly
adapted. The inhabitants of the parish are, however,
chiefly engaged in husbandry. There are well-constructed commutation roads passing in all directions
through the parish. The ecclesiastical affairs are subject to the presbytery of Aberdeen and synod of Aberdeen, and the patronage is vested in Sir John Forbes,
Bart.: the stipend is £217, with a manse, built in 1804,
and a glebe of the annual value of £10. The church,
which is a commodious and substantial building, was
erected in 1821, and has 500 sittings, all free. There is
a parochial school, in which Latin and mathematics are
taught, with the usual branches of education; the master has a salary of £28, with about £23 fees, a portion
of the Dick bequest, a house, and a quarter of an acre
of garden-ground. Another school is open, in which
the instruction is of the same kind as in the parochial
school; the master receives the interest of £200 left by
the Rev. Dr. Morison, of Disblair, with fees, an allowance from the Dick bequest, and a house and garden.
A silver cup is still in possession of the minister, having
the date of 1632, and believed to have been cast from a
silver head of St. Meddan, who was the tutelar saint of
the parish; it is reported to have been carried in procession, on account of its magical virtues in procuring
suitable weather for the purposes of agriculture.

Fintry

FINTRY, a parish, in the county of Stirling,
17 miles (N.) from Glasgow; containing, with the villages of Gonochan and Newtown, and the Clachan,
884 inhabitants. This parish is said to have derived
its name from Gaelic terms signifying "Fair land," and
applied in consequence of the picturesque appearance of
parts of the district, in contrast with the dreary moors
and barren mountains by which they are surrounded.
It is of an irregular form, extending about six miles in
length, from east to west, and five in breadth; and
comprises 13,000 acres, of which 1000 are arable, 100
under wood and plantations, and the remainder hill
and moor pasture, chiefly laid out in large sheep-farms.
The surface, which embraces some of the highest ground
between the Friths of Clyde and Forth, is considerably
diversified, and marked principally by three ranges of
hills, and two intermediate, and beautifully rural and
fertile valleys. The ranges of hills are, the Fintry hills,
on the north; a continuation of the Killearn line,
traversing the middle of the parish, and uniting with
the Dundaff range, on the west, in St. Ninian's parish;
and a southern chain, continued from the Campsie Fells
and the Meikle Binn. These elevations are rich in
fern, moss, and lichen, and in the various valuable
botanical specimens peculiar to such localities; the
moors abound with grouse and a variety of wild-fowl.
The chief rivers are the Carron and the Endrick, both
of which rise in the parish, and, watering the two valleys already referred to, contribute materially to enliven
their delightful scenery. The Carron, celebrated in
song, running by the margin of the Campsie hills, forms
the boundary line, for the distance of about two miles,
between Fintry and the parish of Campsie, after which,
leaving the valley, it enters a new district, and eventually
empties itself into the Forth. The Endrick, which
receives a considerable accession to its waters by the
junction of the Gonochan burn, is a bold and precipitous stream, passing with great noise, in some places,
along its rocky and rugged channel, and exhibiting a
magnificent cascade in its progress over a lofty rock,
commonly called the "Loup of Fintry," ninety feet in
height; it loses itself at last in Loch Lomond. Both
these rivers are well stocked with trout; and in the
latter, below the waterfall, a species called par is exceedingly numerous, and affords fine sport to the lovers
of angling.

The soil is in general productive; and oats and
barley, which are the staple crops, are raised of very
excellent quality, together with hay, a great quantity of
which is obtained from an extensive tract called the
Carron bog, situated near the river of the same name.
The fine sheep-walks, however, formed of many small
farms broken up several years ago, and upon which
large numbers of live stock range, confer on the parish
its chief character, and are the principal source of
wealth to the landowner. About 4000 sheep are usually
kept, and nearly 1000 head of cattle, besides a good
supply of Ayrshire cows for the dairy, the produce of
which is of superior quality, and is disposed of in the
neighbouring towns and villages. Open drains are
frequently cut along the margin of the hills, to the
great advantage of the pastures; and several excellent
farm-houses, with offices, have been built in different
parts of the parish within these few years. The rateable annual value of Fintry is £4610. The rocks are
of several kinds, and become so prominent in the
northern chain of hills as to invest the scenery with a
character of singular variety and grandeur; they chiefly
comprise granite, whinstone, freestone, and redstone,
here called firestone, and in the north-western portion
of the parish is a hill called Doun, formed partly
of a perpendicular rock about fifty feet in height, distributed into numerous beautiful basaltic columns.
Small quantities of coal are also found in different
places. The plantations, some of which are recent,
consist of various sorts of fir, oak, beech, &c.; and encompassing Culcreuch House, an ancient mansion with
modern additions, situated in the north-west, is an
extensive sweep of fine old timber.

The chief village, designated Newtown, was built to
accommodate the population that sprang up in consequence of the erection of a cotton-factory by the late
Mr. Speirs, nearly fifty years since; it is situated in the
western part of the parish. The establishment contains
20,000 spindles, and employs about 260 hands, the
machinery being partly driven by the water of the river
Endrick, collected for that purpose in a reservoir
covering about thirty acres. The intercourse kept up
with Glasgow by the conveyance of the raw material
and the manufactured goods, is said to have been the
occasion of a material improvement in the state of the
roads, and to have opened a larger market for the sale
of the farm produce. The village, the population of
which exceeds 500, also contains a distillery, erected in
1816, and producing annually 70,000 gallons of malt
whisky. There are likewise two hamlets, one called
Clachan, and the other Gonachan, in the former of
which are the church and manse, and in the latter the
parochial school, and near it a small wool-factory. The
numerous lambs bred here are generally sent for sale
to Glasgow, with a part of the dairy produce, the other
part being disposed of at Campsie and Kirkintilloch;
the black-cattle are sold at Falkirk. The parish is in
the presbytery of Dumbarton and synod of Glasgow
and Ayr, and in the patronage of the Duke of Montrose;
the minister's stipend is £155, with a manse, lately
rebuilt, and a glebe valued at £22 per annum. The
church is a neat structure with a tower at the west
end, built in 1823, and contains 500 sittings. The
master of the parochial school has a salary of £34, with
about £20 fees, and a house and garden. Another
school has lately been opened in the village, chiefly for
the benefit of the children of those employed in the
factory; about 100 attend in the day-time, and fifty
or sixty in the evening. The premises, which are spacious, and comprise a house for the master, were
erected in consequence of a legacy of £3000 for that
purpose by Mr. John Stewart, a merchant of Fintry,
who died in 1836, and who also left £500 to form a
fund for a savings' bank in the parish. There is a
small subscription library, which has been established
several years. The only relic of antiquity is the ruin
of an ancient castle, with a fosse and mound, the former
residence of the Grahams, of Fintry; it stood on the
south side of Fintry hill, opposite Sir John de Graham's
castle in the parish of St. Ninian's, which was burnt
down by Edward I. after the battle of Falkirk. The
parish confers the title of Baron on the Duke of
Montrose.

Firth and Stennes

FIRTH and STENNESS, a parish, in the county of
Orkney, the former district 6 miles (W. by N.) and the
latter 8 miles (W.) from Kirkwall; containing 1167
inhabitants, of whom 584 are in Firth. These ancient
parishes, which appear to have been united soon after
the abolition of episcopacy in Scotland, are situated on
the Mainland of the Orkney Islands, and are bounded
on the north by the parishes of Harray and Rendall, on
the east by the parish of Kirkwall, on the south by
that of Orphir, and on the west by the parishes of Sandwick and Stromness. The coast, including the small
island of Damsay and the holm of Grimbister, detached
portions of Firth, lying in the bay of that name, is
about ten miles in length, and the shores low and flat,
with few or no headlands of importance. The bay of
Firth abounds with fish of various kinds; and oysters
of large size, and of excellent quality, are found in
considerable numbers. The island of Damsay, more
than a mile in circumference, is extremely beautiful;
its surface is covered with verdure, affording luxuriant
pasture for sheep, of which a few hundreds of superior
breed are kept within its limits. On this island was
anciently a castle, which at that time was regarded
as a place of much strength; and there was subsequently a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, of which,
however, little more than the site remains.

The parish is about nine miles in extreme length, and
varies greatly in breadth: the number of acres, from
the great irregularity of form, has not been ascertained.
The surface is broken by numerous ridges of hilly moorland, covered with heath and moss to the very summit;
the soil near the shore is a deep mossy loam, and in
other parts shallow. There are some portions of arable
land in good cultivation, yielding tolerable crops, and
some fields of rich pasture near the borders of the loch
of Stenness, and in parts of Firth; but in general little
improvement has been made in agriculture. The loch
of Stenness, to the north-west, is a noble sheet of water
nearly five miles in length, and divided almost into two
separate lakes by the projection of a strip of land from
the north-west to the bridge of Broigar. In that portion of the lake which is bounded by the parish of
Harray on the east, are numerous small holms, frequented by great numbers of aquatic fowl of various
kinds; and the shores are embellished with fields of
natural grass, alternated with others of highly-cultivated
land, and studded with neat houses belonging to the
proprietors of small farms that acknowledge no superior
landlord. On the peninsula dividing the lake are the
celebrated stones of Stenness, one of the most extensive
and complete Druidical relics in the county, consisting
of a circle, nearly entire, of massive and lofty columns,
beyond which are a semicircle, with several single stones
irregularly placed, and numerous cairns. Burness, a
seat in the parish, is a handsome mansion finely situated
on the shore of the bay of Firth. There is but one
village, namely that designated Phinstown, seated at
the western extremity of the bay: the platting of straw
affords employment to part of the females, who work
at their own homes for the manufacturers of Kirkwall
and Stromness. The ecclesiastical affairs are under
the superintendence of the presbytery of Cairston and
synod of Orkney. The minister's stipend is £158, of
which part is paid from the exchequer, with a manse,
and two glebes valued together at £27 per annum;
patron, the Earl of Zetland. There are two churches,
that of Firth, built in 1813, and the church of Stenness,
in 1793, and repaired and reseated in 1816; they are
both neat structures, and contain each about 700 sittings. Divine service is performed in each regularly
every Sunday. The whole of the services were until
recently performed by the incumbent alone; but he is
now assisted by a missionary, for whose support the
General Assembly give the annual sum of £30, while
one of the proprietors contributes £20. There are
also, in the parish, places of worship for members
of the Free Church and the United Secession. The
parochial school is well attended; the master has a
salary of £26, with a house and garden: the fees are
very inconsiderable. There is in each of the districts
a school supported by the Society for Propagating
Christian Knowledge, who pay each of the teachers a
salary of £15 per annum. In the neighbourhood of
Garmiston, in Stenness, is an extensive plain between
two hills, on which are numerous tumuli, supposed to
cover the graves of the slain in the battle of Summersdale, or Bigswell, which took place in the reign of
James V., between the inhabitants, under Sir James
Sinclair, son of Robert, Earl of Orkney, and a body of
men under John, Earl of Caithness, who, pretending to
have some claim to the earldom, landed at Howton in
order to take forcible possession of it.

Fish Holm Isle

FISH HOLM ISLE, in the parish of Delting,
county of Shetland. It is a small island of the Shetland group, situated northward of the Mainland of the
parish, and in the southern part of Yell Sound.

Fisherrow

FSIHERROW, county of Edinburgh.—See
Northesk.

Flada

FLADA, an isle, in the parish of Kilmuir, county
of Inverness. It is of very small extent, and lies close
to the north coast of the Isle of Skye: the soil affords
pasturage for sheep.

Flada-Whein

FLADA-WHEIN, an isle, in the parish of Kilmuir, county of Inverness. This is one of the
Hebrides, lying about six miles northward from the
nearest point of the Isle of Skye; it is two miles in
circumference, and its coasts abound with fish. The
quality of the grass here is very good, and the land is
wholly appropriated to the pasturage of sheep. Although the isle stands in the midst of a salt, deep, and
rapid channel, it contains two or three fresh-water
springs. In its vicinity are four smaller islets, each
capable of rearing a few sheep.

Fladda

FLADDA, an island, in the parish of Barra, county
of Inverness; containing 7 inhabitants. It is a small
islet of the Hebrides, lying between the island of Barra
and island of Sanderay.

Fladda

FLADDA, an isle, in the parish of Portree, isle of
Skye, county of Inverness; containing 29 inhabitants. It lies in the Sound of Rona, and westward of
the northern point of Raasay island.

Fladday Isle

FLADDAY ISLE, in the parish of Harris, county
of Inverness. This is a flat islet, situated within the
island of Scarp, at the entrance of Loch Resort, and on
the western side of the Mainland of Harris.

Flannan Isles

FLANNAN ISLES, a group of seven islands, in the
parish of Lewis, county of Inverness. They lie
seventeen miles north-west of Gallan Head, in Lewis,
and are supposed to be the Insulæ Sacræ of ancient
writers, and to have been the residence of the Druids
from the number of Druidical remains still found upon
them. The largest islet has an area of about eighty
acres, and the second in size perhaps twenty acres, and
both are noted for fattening sheep; the rest are of much
smaller dimensions, and altogether unoccupied. Various kinds of sea-fowl resort hither; and when, on the
arrival of a boat, they come out of their holes, they are
described as covering the surface of the islands, and
giving them "the appearance of a meadow thickly
enamelled with field-flowers." Though this group is
much dreaded by mariners, it would seem that the
danger of approach is not great.

Flawcraig

FLAWCRAIG, a hamlet, in the parish of Kinnaird, county of Perth, 1 mile (S. W. by W.) from
Kinnaird; containing 44 inhabitants. It lies in the
southern part of the parish, and on the road between
Kinnaird and Fingask.

Flisk

FLISK, a parish, in the district of Cupar, in the
county of Fife, 8 miles (N. W. by N.) from Cupar;
containing, with the hamlet of Glenduckie, 270 inhabitants. This place is supposed to have derived its
name, descriptive of wetness or moisture, from the
situation of the lower grounds, which, stretching along
the Tay on one continued level, were formerly subject
to occasional inundations. The parish lies on the south
bank of the river, and is about four miles in length, and
of very irregular form, varying from half a mile to two
miles in breadth; it comprises 2500 acres, of which
430 are pasture, 300 woodland and plantations, and the
remainder arable land in profitable cultivation. The
surface near the river is flat, but rises gradually towards
the south till it attains a considerable elevation, forming
part of a hilly range, of which the highest points are,
Lyndemus hill, Logie Law, and Glenduckie hill, the
first of which is about 750 feet above the level of the
river. The beach is clayey, and is defended by an accumulation of shingle thrown up by the tide. The soil is,
for the greater portion, a loam intermixed with clay; in
some parts, especially towards the river, clay and gravel;
and in others, a rich black loam of great fertility. The
scenery is in several places enlivened with flourishing
plantations, chiefly of larch and Scotch fir; the timber
in Flisk wood, of more ancient growth, is mostly oak.
There are numerous springs of excellent quality, which
afford an ample supply of water. The crops are, barley,
oats, wheat, potatoes, peas, and turnips. The system of
agriculture is improved; draining has been practised to
a considerable extent, and some progress made in inclosing the farms; the fences are mainly stone dykes, and
are kept in good repair, and bone-dust has been extensively introduced as manure. The cattle are usually of
the old Fifeshire breed, crossed occasionally with the
Forfarshire and Teeswater; but the number is very
limited, and few, if any, sheep are reared. The farm-buildings are substantial and commodious. The rateable
annual value of the parish is £3027.

The substrata are generally secondary trap, of which
the upper part of the hills is composed, and red sandstone in the lower districts; greenstone is also found
in several places, with agates and other stones. Along
the margin of the river Tay are the debris of an ancient
forest, covered at full tide, with four or five feet of
water; the appearance is that of peat-moss, and at low
water the stumps of trees, with their roots attached, are
seen resting on a stratum of clay. The nearest market-towns are, Cupar, Dundee, and Newburgh, to which the
farmers resort for the sale of produce. There are several stations in the parish for the salmon-fishery, and
also two for sperling; the quantity of fish taken is not
great, but they are of excellent quality. The manufacture of potato-flour is carried on at the farm of East
Flisk, where a mill has been erected for the purpose,
which is propelled by a steam-engine of two-horse
power. Coal, tiles, slates, and stone are landed on the
beach; but as there is no pier, the inhabitants derive
little other benefit from the navigation of the river.
The road from Newburgh to Woodhaven, maintained by
statute labour, runs through the parish. Flisk is in the
presbytery of Cupar and synod of Fife, and patronage of
the Earl of Zetland; the minister's stipend is £151. 11.,
with a manse and glebe. The church, erected in 1790,
near the site of the old church, then taken down, is a
neat plain edifice adapted for a congregation of 150
persons; it is beautifully situated on the bank of the
river, and about four miles from Glenduckie, the inhabitants of which hamlet attend the church of Dunbog,
it being more convenient for them. The parochial
school affords a good education to the children of the
parish; the master has a salary of £34, with £10 fees,
and a house and garden.

Near the western extremity of the parish are the
ruins of the ancient castle of Ballinbreich, seated on an
eminence overlooking the river, and surrounded with a
plantation; it was for many ages the residence of the
earls of Rothes, of whom Andrew, the fourth earl, was
buried in the old church. Being, however, deserted
by that family, the castle was sold, together with the
adjoining lands, and has been suffered to fall into
decay. The only remains are, part of the walls, of red
sandstone, which appear to have inclosed an area 150
feet in length and seventy feet in width, and some of
the ancient timber, of which two remarkably fine chesnut-trees have been preserved. Near the castle, and
within the grounds, is a spot called Chapel Hill, said to
have been the site of some religious building, of which
the foundations may with difficulty be traced. There
are also slight remains of another chapel, in Flisk wood,
consisting of low walls; but whether this building or the
ruin near the castle is referred to in the enumeration
of the parishes of Fife, in which this parish is designated
"Flisk cum Capella," is uncertain. Several stone
coffins of rude form, containing urns in which were
burnt bones, were a few years since discovered on the
farms of East Flisk and Belhelvie; burnt bones were
also found in a cairn on the summit of a mount, on
Fliskmill farm; and on Fliskmill hill are some stones
called St. Muggin's Seat. Silver half-crowns, shillings,
and sixpences, coined in the reign of Edward III.,
have been also found on the lands of East Flisk. The
Rev. John Wemyss, principal of St. Leonard's College,
St. Andrew's, in 1592; and the Rev. John Fleming, D.D.,
author of the Philosophy of Zoology and History of British
Animals, and professor of natural philosophy in King's
College, Aberdeen, in 1832, were ministers of this
parish.

Flodda

FLODDA, an island, in the parish of Barra, county
of Inverness; containing 53 inhabitants. It lies near
the island of Helesay, in the sound of Flodda, and
eastward of the Mainland of Barra. Flodda Sound
opens to the south, and ships of large burthen may
ride in it with safety at all seasons.

Flotta

FLOTTA, in the county of Orkney.—See Walls
and Flotta.

Fochabers

FOCHABERS, a burgh of barony, in the parish of
Bellie, county of Elgin, 7 miles (E. S. E.) from Elgin;
containing 1135 inhabitants. This place is situated in
the vicinity of Gordon Castle, on rising ground near the
confluence of a small rivulet with the Spey, over which
latter is a fine bridge of three arches, having a waterway of 340 feet. It is a neat village, built on a regular
plan, with a handsome square in the centre, ornamented on each side with trees, and streets entering the
square at right angles; and is governed by a baronbailie, appointed by the superior. A village of the
same name formerly stood about a mile northward of
the present, and still nearer to Gordon Castle; but it
ceased to exist on the formation and rise of the modern
village. Among the most conspicuous buildings are,
the parochial church, and a highly-ornamental episcopal chapel, recently built and endowed by the Duchess
of Gordon, on the north side of the village, and consisting of two stories, surmounted with two spires; the
upper story is used for public worship, and the ground
floor is occupied as an infant school, and contains apartments for the teacher. There are also a Roman Catholic chapel, and a subscription library. The great road
from Edinburgh to Inverness passes through the village; and annual markets are held, partly for the sale
of horses, but especially for black-cattle, on the third
Wednesday in January, the fourth in March and May,
the second in August, and the fourth in October and
December. In the neighbourhood is a spacious mansion for the lessees of a salmon-fishery on the Spey,
with a range of apartments in an extensive court, conveniently fitted up, and supplying every facility for the
operations connected with this important branch of
traffic; the produce, valued at several thousand pounds
a year, is sent to London packed in ice, and employs
regularly, during the season, eight smacks in the conveyance.

Gordon Castle, until lately the seat of the dukes of
Gordon, whose title has become extinct, and now a possession of their heir of entail and representative, the
Duke of Richmond, is considered the most magnificent
and princely mansion north of the Frith of Forth. This
edifice was originally a gloomy tower, in the centre of a
morass called the Bog of Gight, and accessible only by
a narrow causeway, and a drawbridge. It is now a vast
structure, of which the exterior measures 570 feet in
length; and the building consists of four lofty stories,
with spacious two-storied wings, and connecting galleries or arcades of similar height. From behind the centre
rises a ponderous square tower of the eleventh century,
nearly ninety feet high, overlooking the stately pile,
which is faced on all sides with freestone, and encircled
by an embattled coping. The castle is approached by
an imposing gateway at the north end of the village,
and entered by a grand vestibule embellished by copies
of the Apollo Belvidere and the Venus de Medici, a bust
of Homer, busts of Aurelius and Faustina, of Cæsar
and Caracalla, one of a vestal virgin, and one of Pitt,
each raised on a handsome pedestal of Sienna marble.
At the bottom of the great staircase are busts of Seneca
and Cicero, and of a grand duke of Tuscany, a relative
of the family of Gordon; and on the first landing-place
is a gigantic wooden head of some ancient divinity of
the sea, with other objects of striking interest. The
state apartments are numerous and splendid, and
superbly furnished: the great dining-room is of the
most just proportions, and contains many fine paintings
and portraits, as do most of the other rooms, including
the library, where are several thousand volumes, various
ancient and valuable MSS., geographical and astronomical instruments, and antique curiosities. There are
also a small theatre, and a music-room. Among the
finest pictures may be mentioned those of Abraham
turning off Hagar and her son; Joseph resisting Potiphar's wife; St. Peter and St. Paul; Dido and St. Cecilia; Ulysses and Calypso; Bacchus and Ariadne; Venus
and Adonis; a portrait of the last duke of Gordon;
and one of the second countess of Huntly, daughter of
James I., and the lady through whom Lord Byron
boasted of having a share of the royal blood of Scotland
in his veins.

The park in which the castle stands is of great
extent, and presents every variety of surface, walks,
drives, meandering streamlets, groves, arbours, and
broad-spreading meadows; while an almost interminable forest extends over the mountain side in the distance. Among the trees are majestic rows of elm and
beech, and many of large dimensions, particularly the
limes, planes, the walnut, and horse-chesnut; and there
are fine plantations of birch, larch, Scotch fir, and other
growing timber in a flourishing state. Before the castle
is a richly-verdant sward, fringed with sweetly-scented
shrubs; and the gardens around it occupy a space of
twelve acres, and are ornamented by rare plants, and
enlivened by a beautiful lake. To the north of the
mansion is a military station, called the "Roman
camp."

Fodderty

FODDERTY, a parish, in the county of Ross and
Cromarty, 2 miles (W.) from Dingwall; containing,
with the villages of Auchterneed, Keithtown, and Maryburgh, the island of Balblair, and part of the quoad
sacra districts of Carnoch and Kinlochluichart, 2437
inhabitants. The name is probably derived from two
words in the Gaelic language, signifying a meadow along
the side of a hill, a description characteristic of the
celebrated valley of Strathpeffer, which comprehends
part of the parish. The ancient history of Fodderty
is very imperfectly known; but it appears to be closely
connected with that of the famous Mc Kenzies, of whom
Roderick Mc Kenzie was knighted by James VI.; the
grandson of Roderick, named George, was made secretary of state to Queen Anne, with the dignity of Earl
of Cromarty, and in 1698 he obtained an act to annex
all his lands in Ross-shire to the county whence he
derived his title. Fodderty comprehended a large part
of these lands; and thus it happens that, though actually situated in Ross, it belongs to the county of Cromarty. The length of the parish, from north to south,
is about eleven miles, and it is nine miles in breadth,
from east to west. It is bounded by Dingwall on the
east, by Contin and Kinlochluichart on the west, by
Kincardine and Kiltearn on the north, and by Urray on
the south. The surface partly consists of the valley
already mentioned, encompassed by lofty hills; and a
rivulet called Peffery runs through it, whence the valley,
nearly six miles long and three-quarters broad, derives its
name. The views in every direction are very fine. The
lofty and massive Ben-Wyvis, 3426 feet high, and partly
in the parish; Knock-Farril, on which is a strikingly
marked vitrified fort; the vale of Strathpeffer, with its
venerable castle; the town of Dingwall, the Frith of
Cromarty, and the interesting scenery of Tulloch Castle,
interspersed in different directions with the round tops
of wild and rugged hills, all unite to complete the landscape. Loch Ussie, containing several islands, and encompassed with thriving plantations, is also a pleasing
object.

The soil slightly varies, but in general it is found to
be a dark loamy mould, with a stiff clayey subsoil. A
very large portion of the land is in a state of high cultivation; about 1000 acres are under fir and larch plantation, and the remainder is hill pasture. The rateable
annual value of the parish is £6092. The strata differ
considerably, exhibiting gneiss on the higher grounds,
and in the lower parts red sandstone and conglomerate;
in many places is a slaty rock with black whinstone,
and in others a bituminous schist, mixed with pyrites.
The noble mansion of Castle-Leod, built in 1616, the
ancient residence of the earls of Cromarty, is of truly
baronial appearance, five stories high, and turreted; it
stands at the base of a hill beautifully rounded at the
summit, and in the midst of extensive parks adorned
with various kinds of trees, many of them of ancient
growth and gigantic stature. Among these is a chesnut, measuring at the bottom of its trunk twenty-four
feet in circumference; the width of its branches is
ninety feet.

There is a great variety of mineral springs within
the parish, but the most celebrated is the Strathpeffer
spa, which has been brought into great repute within
the last thirty years; it has two wells, one much
stronger than the other, both impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen gas, and said to be highly efficacious
in nervous and dyspeptic complaints. A considerable
number of respectable houses have been built in the
vicinity of the spa, the fame of which has drawn many
visiters. A large and convenient pump-room was erected,
in 1819, at an expense of £125, and is regularly supplied with the public papers; a splendid hotel has been
recently built at Blar-na-ceaun, within about half a mile
of the pump-room, and there is an inn also on the east
side with comfortable accommodations. An hospital,
or infirmary, has been lately formed, through the exertions of J. E. Gordon, Esq., for the poor who resort to
the spa for the benefit of its waters; it can accommodate fifty persons, but is yet unendowed. There is a
penny-post in the parish; and between the months of
May and October, during the visiting season, a conveyance runs twice every day to Dingwall, where it meets
the Inverness coach. On the river Conon is a salmon-fishery; and in the small stream of the Peffery, black
trout are frequently taken. The ecclesiastical affairs
are directed by the presbytery of Dingwall and synod
of Ross: the stipend of the minister is £255, with a
manse, built in 1796, and a glebe and garden of thirteen acres; the patronage belongs to the Hon. Mrs. Hay
Mc Kenzie. The church, a plain but pleasing structure,
built in 1807, and enlarged in 1835, accommodates 600
persons with sittings: the service is alternately performed in English and Gaelic. In the village of Maryburgh is a church, recently erected, distant from the
parish church about five miles. A parochial school is
maintained, in which the classics are taught, with the
ordinary branches of education; the master has a salary
of £36, with a house, and £20 fees. Near Fodderty
is Temple-croft, or Croicht-an-Team puil, in which stone
coffins containing skeletons have been recently found:
on the heights of the Hilton estate is a sepulchral cairn,
measuring in circumference 260 feet, and near this spot
are the remains of some Druidical temples. There are
two huge stones on either side of the church, vulgarly
reported to have been thrown at his enemies by the farfamed Fingal, the hero of Ossian, and to have remained
in their present position. The most striking antiquity,
however, is Castle-Leod, built by Sir Roderick Mc
Kenzie.

Fogo

FOGO, a parish, in the county of Berwick, 4 miles
(S. by W.) from Dunse; containing 455 inhabitants, of
whom about 35 are in the village. This place, of which
the name is of uncertain derivation, appears, though unconnected with any event of historical importance, to
have some claim to antiquity; and from a confirmatory
charter of Malcolm IV., in 1159, it is clear that the
church of Fogo had been granted previously to that
time to the monastery of Kelso. The parish is five miles
in length, from east to west, and two miles and a half in
average breadth, and comprises about 5000 acres, of
which 4600 are arable, 300 woodland and plantations,
and the remainder meadow and pasture. The surface is
traversed in the north by two parallel ridges of inconsiderable height, between which the river Blackadder
flows throughout the whole length of the parish: on the
south are some extensive level tracts. The scenery is
pleasingly varied, and in parts enriched with timber of
stately growth. The Blackadder, which has its source
in some mossy land in the parish of Westruther,
from which circumstance it takes its name, runs in a
direction from east to west, and falls into the Whiteadder in the parish of Edrom; it abounds with eels and
trout of a reddish colour, but salmon are never found in
its stream. There is a bridge of one arch on the road
to Dunse, built in 1664, lately repaired, and which
bears the name of the family of Cockburn, of Langton.

The soil on the higher land is exceedingly fertile, consisting principally of a deep black loam; but in the
lower lands it is thinner, and of inferior quality, resting
on a retentive clay. The crops are, oats, barley, wheat,
and turnips; the system of agriculture is in an advanced state, and the four-shift course of husbandry
generally prevalent. Bone-dust and various other kinds
of manure are used in the cultivation of turnips; the
lands have been in great part thoroughly drained, and
inclosed with hedges of thorn; the farm-buildings are
substantial and well arranged, and all the more recent
improvements in the construction of agricultural implements have been adopted. Considerable attention
is paid to the rearing of live stock; the cattle are
partly of the short-horned, and partly of the Highland
breed, and the sheep mostly the Leicestershire. The
plantations are fir, intermixed with forest trees, of which
the chief are, beech, birch, and lime. The rateable
annual value of Fogo is £5851. Caldra House, the
principal mansion in the parish, is now in the occupation of Capt. Cathcart; and Charter Hall, a neat summer
seat, built by the late Henry Trotter, Esq., of Morton
Hall, is occasionally visited by the proprietor. Communication with the neighbouring market-towns and
other places is afforded by good roads, of which the
turnpike-road to Berwick, and to the suspension-bridge
communicating with Northumberland, passes through
the parish, and that from Coldstream to Dunse crosses
its western extremity. Fogo is in the presbytery of
Dunse and synod of Merse and Teviotdale, and patronage of the Crown; the minister's stipend is £219. 5. 10.,
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £18. 10. per annum.
The church, situated on the banks of the Blackadder,
is an ancient structure, repaired in 1755, and reseated
in 1817, and is adapted for a congregation of 200 persons. The parochial school is well attended; the
master has a salary of £25. 13., with £20 fees, and a
house and garden. Among the remains of antiquity
may be mentioned the old house of Harcarse, situated
on the immediate borders of the parishes of Edrom
and Swinton, and formerly belonging to the family
of Hogg, now extinct; and at the western extremity
of the parish, at a place named Chesters, are vestiges of
a Roman camp, the stones of which have been nearly
all removed. To the south of the parish have been
discovered, in a marshy tract of land, some remains of
a causeway, probably part of the road leading to the
camp.

Forbes

FORBES, Aberdeenshire.—See Tullynessle.

Fordel-Square

FORDEL-SQUARE, a village, in the parish of
Dalgety, district of Dunfermline, county of Fife,
2½ miles (N. E.) from Inverkeithing; containing 157
inhabitants. It lies on the western side of the parish,
and is connected with the Fordel coal-works, which
have been wrought for nearly 250 years, and where
nearly 70,000 tons of coal were until recently annually
raised. In the neighbourhood is a picturesque waterfall; and Fordel House, an elegant mansion, surrounded
with extensive plantations, is only a short distance from
the village.

Fordoun

FORDOUN, a parish, in the county of Kincardine,
11 miles (W. S.W.) from Stonehaven; containing, with
the village of Auchinblae, 2342 inhabitants, of whom
34 are in the Kirktown. This place, which is of remote
antiquity, is supposed to have derived its name, signifying in the Gaelic language the "front hill," from the
situation of the church on the brow of the hill of
Fenella, in front of the Grampian range. The parish,
or part of it, had also the appellation of Paldy, from
the dedication of an ancient chapel to St. Palladius,
who was sent from Rome in the fifth century, to oppose
the Pelagian heresy, and who, but upon very doubtful
authority, is said to have fixed his residence here. Of
this chapel, on a pilgrimage to which, to visit the
shrine of the saint, Kenneth III. was murdered by
Dame Fenella, as related in the article on Fettercairn,
some memorials are preserved in the name of a well in
the manse garden, still called the well of St. Palladius.
A sculptured stone, commemorative of the murder,
appears to have been erected in the chapel, but, at the
Reformation, it was removed, and for greater security
concealed under the pulpit of the old parish church,
where, on the rebuilding of that structure, it was
afterwards discovered.

The parish, which is situated on the south side of
the Grampian mountains, is about eight miles in length,
and five and a half in average breadth, comprising an
area of 27,800 acres, of which 11,500 are arable, 2160
woodland and plantations, and the remainder moorland
pasture and waste. The surface is strikingly varied,
rising from the south-east, by bold undulations, towards
the Grampian range on the north-west, and broken
into deep glens and pleasing vales by numerous streams
descending from the mountains, and by the prominent
hill of Fenella, nearly in the centre of the parish. This
hill, which is one mass of sandstone, is about four miles
in length, and a mile and a quarter in breadth, rising
in a gracefully curvilinear form to the height of 1200
feet above the level of the sea, and separated, by the
picturesque vale of Strath-Fenella, from the Grampians,
which in this parish do not attain an elevation of
more than 1500 feet. The rivers are the Luther and
the Bervie. The Luther has its source in the hills
behind Drumtochty, and, flowing to the village of
Auchinblae, where it receives a stream from Glenfarquhar, takes a south-easterly direction to Fordoun
House, beyond which it changes its course to the west,
and' flows through the parish of Laurencekirk into
the North Esk. The Bervie has its source in the hills
of Glenfarquhar, and, running to the south-east, by
Glenbervie House, winds round the base of the hill of
Knock, and, after a devious course, flows through the
parish of Bervie into the sea. Of the small streams
that descend from the Grampians, the principal are, the
burn of Craigniston, which for some distance separates
the parish from Fettercairn; and the Ferdun, formed
by two burns which unite at Clattering Briggs, and,
after washing the western base of the hill of Fenella,
fall into the Luther. The Luther and the Bervie both
abound with small trout; and salmon are occasionally
found in the latter.

The soil in the lower grounds is a tenacious clay, of
moderate fertility; along the bases of the hills, a deep
rich loam; and on the higher grounds, a brown
gravelly loam: the crops are, barley, oats, wheat,
beans, peas, potatoes, and turnips, with the various
grasses. The system of husbandry has been greatly
bettered under the auspices of the Fettercairn Club,
which includes also this parish and the parishes of
Laurencekirk and Marykirk. The lands have been
drained and partly inclosed; the farm-buildings are
substantial and commodious, and the more recent improvements in the construction and use of agricultural
implements have been adopted. Much attention is
paid to the management of the dairy-farms, and to
live stock. The cattle are of the pure Angus or Aberdeen polled breed; the best are sent to the London
market, where they obtain a high price, and the remainder to Edinburgh and Glasgow. The sheep, which
are reared solely on the hills, are of the black-faced or
mountain breed, with a few of the Cheviot, recently
introduced; and the horses, reared chiefly for agriculture, approach very nearly to the Clydesdale breed.
The wood is of modern growth, with the exception of
some natural birch and coppice, on the lands of Drumtochty Castle; the plantations consist of larch, and
spruce and Scotch firs, interspersed with oak, ash,
elm, beech, birch, and sycamore. The chief substrata
are, red sandstone, greenstone, in which occasionally
amethysts are imbedded, clay-slate, limestone, and freestone, of which there are several quarries. The rateable
annual value of the parish is £12,967.

Drumtochty Castle is a spacious castellated mansion
in the early English style, erected by George Harley
Drummond, Esq., at a cost of £30,000, and seated on
an eminence rising from the bank of the Luther, in a
richly-wooded demesne, tastefully laid out in walks,
commanding much picturesque and finely-varied scenery.
Phesdo, an elegant mansion of Aberdeen granite, in the
Grecian style, with a handsome portico of the Doric
order, built by the late Alexander Crombie, of Aberdeen,
Esq., is beautifully situated in grounds embellished
with plantations, and near the base of Fenella hill,
commanding a fine view of the vale of Strathmore and
the Grampians. Monboddo, the birthplace of Lord
Monboddo, is an ancient mansion, greatly improved
by the late Mrs. Burnett, his daughter. Fordoun House
is, together with the farm, in the occupation of a
tenant; as is also Castleton. The Kirktown merely contains the church, manse, and school-house, with a few
cottages and an inn. The village of Kincardine, once
the county town, and residence of the sheriff, who held
his courts here till the reign of James VI., when they
were removed to Stonehaven, has dwindled into an
insignificant hamlet: the ancient cross that stood in
the market-place has been removed, and placed in the
village of Fettercairn. The castle of Kincardine, of
which the ruins are situated on the adjacent lands of
Castleton, was a celebrated palace of several of the
Scottish monarchs, of whom Kenneth III., while here,
was murdered by Dame Fenella; and in this castle
John Baliol is said to have been residing when he
abdicated the crown in favour of Edward I. of England.
From the ruins, it appears to have been a spacious
quadrangular structure of great solidity, but only the
foundations of some of the walls are now remaining.
The village of Auchinblae, situated to the east of StrathFenella, contains several inns: the inhabitants are
partly employed in the spinning of flax and the weaving
of coarse linen; and the place, which has a thriving
appearance, has been erected into a burgh of barony,
and is governed by a baron-bailie appointed by the Earl
of Kintore. Fairs are annually held in the parish, of
which the most considerable is Paldy fair, for horses,
sheep, and cattle, which takes place in July, on a moor
near the foot of the Grampians. Another fair for
horses and cattle is also held in July, at Lammas
muir, in the western portion of the parish; and at
Auchinblae, besides two annual fairs, are weekly markets for grain and cattle, during the winter. Runners
from the post-offices of Stonehaven and Montrose bring
the letters; and facility of communication is maintained by the turnpike-road from Aberdeen to Edinburgh, through Strathmore, and by statute roads and
bridges kept in excellent repair.

The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Fordoun, which holds
its sittings here, and the synod of Angus and Mearns.
The minister's stipend is £249, with a manse, and a
glebe valued at £12 per annum; patron, the Crown.
The church, erected in 1829, at a cost of £3000, is a
handsome structure in the later English style of architecture, with a tower at the west end, ninety-three feet
in height; the interior is well arranged, and contains
1230 sittings. The burying-ground is inclosed by a
wall of masonry, in which is an elegant gateway. There
is a place of worship for members of the Free Church.
The parochial school, for which an appropriate building
has been erected, is attended by about seventy children; the master has a salary of £35. 12., with a house
and garden, and the fees average £15 per annum. A
parochial library was established in 1827, which now
contains nearly 700 volumes; and there is also a small
library belonging to the Sunday school. Alexander
Crombie, Esq., bequeathed £100, Mrs. Bogendollo £50,
and the late Mrs. Burnett, of Monboddo, £50, for the
benefit of the poor. Close to Fordoun House are the
remains of a Roman camp, of which the prætorium is
in a tolerably perfect state; near it have been found
urns containing ashes and half-burnt bones, a gold
ring, and other relics of Roman antiquity. In a secluded
glen not far from Drumtochty, are some remains of a
small friary; and on the hill above Newlands, and
near Castleton, are Druidical ruins. John of Fordoun,
author of the Scotochronicon, and Dr. Beattie, brother
of the author of The Minstrel, were natives of this place.

Fordyce

FORDYCE, a parish, in the county of Banff; containing, with the villages of Sandend and New Mills,
and the town of Portsoy, 3442 inhabitants, of whom
243 are in the village of Fordyce, 2½ miles (W. S. W.)
from Portsoy. The name of this place, which appears
to have undergone no orthographical variation since
the most ancient times, is supposed to be derived from
the two Gaelic words fuar, cold, and deas, south, which,
from their original appropriation as descriptive of the
southern portion of the parish, have been subsequently
used as an appellation for the whole of it. The lands
once belonged to the family of Sinclair, but afterwards
came into that of Ogilvie, in which they have remained
for about 400 years to the present time. Sir Walter
Ogilvie, in 1455, obtained permission of James II., to
fortify his house of Findlater, situated here; and the
castle seems to have been regularly occupied till nearly
the end of the reign of James VI., when it was in
the possession of John Gordon, son of the Earl of
Huntly, who had received the castle and estates from
one of the Ogilvie family, who had disinherited his own
son. After much litigation and many severe feuds,
however, it returned to the former possessors, chiefly
through arbitration, in which the queen took a leading
part. During its occupancy by Gordon, it was one
among many places that refused to acknowledge Queen
Mary when she visited the northern districts, in consequence of which she sent a party of 120 soldiers
against it, who were attacked by Gordon at Cullen, and
all of them either slain or routed. The district of
Findlater has given the title of Earl to several of its
proprietors, one of whom united to it that of Seafield;
and the present Lord Seafield, who now holds the
estates, is grandson to Sir Ludovic Grant, who married
Lady Margaret, eldest daughter of James, fifth earl
of Findlater.

Fordyce, which once comprehended the parishes of
Ordiquhill, Deskford, and Cullen, long since separated,
is bounded on the north by the Moray Frith, and is
about seven or eight miles in length, and from two to
six in breadth, comprising 18,670 acres, of which 9306
are either cultivated or occasionally in tillage, 5960 waste
or natural pasture, 1500 undivided common, and 1234
under wood. The surface is greatly diversified with
hill and dale, and several lofty elevations give to the
scenery a very bold and decided character. The principal of these are the hills of Durn and Fordyce, nearly
in the middle of the parish, which stretch in a form
almost semicircular, from north-east to south-west,
the former rising about 700 feet above the level of the
sea; and the hill of Knock, near the southern boundary,
on the summit of which is a bed of peat-moss, and
which, attaining an elevation of between 1200 and
1400 feet, serves at a considerable distance as a landmark for mariners. The coast, though not precipitous,
is marked by a strong rocky outline, broken by numerous caves and several headlands and bays. The
chief points are, the East and West heads, taking their
names from their relative positions to Portsoy, and
Logie head, at the western extremity of the parish;
the bays are named Portsoy and Sandend, the former
possessing a secure and convenient harbour, and the
latter having about half a mile of sandy beach, in which
is situated Redhyth point, where small vessels find
anchorage and shelter. The streams are inconsiderable,
comprising only the burn of Boyn, which marks the
eastern boundary of the parish; the burn of Durn,
which joins the sea at Portsoy; and the burn of
Fordyce, falling into the bay of Sandend.

The soil, which is incumbent on strata of almost
every description, comprehends strong clay and light
and clayey loam; it is wet and cold in the southern
quarter, but rich and fertile about the coast, producing
all kinds of grain, with potatoes, turnips, hay, and
flax. The cattle are chiefly a cross between the old
Banffshire and the Buchan breeds: their improvement
has been greatly promoted by premiums given by the
Banffshire Farmers' Club and the Highland Society;
and a decided advantage has been obtained by the introduction of the Teeswater bull. The sheep are the
Cheviots, with a few of the native black-faced; the
horses are in general of the ordinary kind, with the
exception of those bred from Clydesdale mares, which
are very superior in strength and appearance. Though
the fences and farm-buildings are still, to a great extent, in a defective condition, much has been done
within the present century in the way of agricultural
improvement, especially by draining. Upwards of
10,000 yards of ditches, and nearly 20,000 yards of
drains, have been completed on one farm since 1837,
independently of 1600 of marsh ditches cut in another
part; bone manure has been introduced, and several
threshing-mills erected. The rateable annual value of
Fordyce is £8712. The parish is of considerable importance in a geological point of view, and is celebrated
for its extensive strata of serpentine rock, of which
there are immense beds, and which, admitting of a very
fine polish, has long been a favourite material, not
only in Britain, but also in many parts of the continent, for the manufacture of various kinds of ornaments. In the palace of Versailles, where it is known
by the name of Scottish marble, it has been employed
in the construction of several chimney-pieces. Among
the numerous geological varieties are, hornblende, syenite, granite, felspar, mica-slate, quartz, and clay-slate;
also limestone with veins of granite, and small portions of magnetic iron-ore. The plantations are principally larch and Scotch fir, with some ash, the last of
which is found in a thriving condition near the old
castle of the Boyn. The seats are, Birkenbog, an old
plain building, inhabited by the tenant who rents the
farm; and Glassaugh, a neat and spacious modern
mansion, recently much enlarged and improved. The
village of Fordyce was made a burgh of barony in 1499.
About fourteen miles of turnpike-road run through the
parish, branching off in various directions to Banff,
Cullen, Keith, and Huntly; and there are several good
substantial bridges. Two fairs are held; one in November, for cattle and for hiring servants, and the other
in December, for cattle only.

The parish is ecclesiastically in the presbytery of
Fordyce and synod of Aberdeen, and in the patronage
of the Earl of Seafield. The stipend is £226; and
there is a manse, with a glebe of two and a half acres,
valued at £5 per annum, and a croft of five acres, called
the Vicar's Croft, bequeathed in 1595 for the use of the
minister. The church, built in 1804, contains 1050
sittings. The parochial school affords instruction in
Greek, Latin, mathematics, and all the branches of a
useful education; the salary of the master is £34, and
he has also 10 acres of land, left by Thomas Menzies,
of Durn, and receives about £30 in fees. Walter
Ogilvie, of Redhyth, in 1678, bequeathed land for the
establishment of bursaries at the parochial school and
at King's College, Aberdeen; in the former there are
seventeen, extending to five years each. George Smith,
who was born in the village of Fordyce, established nine
bursaries in his native parish, likewise of five years'
duration; they commenced in 1801, and are worth £25
per annum each, appropriated to board, clothing, and
education: he also left £25 a year to the minister for
superintending the youth on the foundation. The Rev.
James Stuart, rector of Georgetown and All Saints, in
South Carolina, left £1200 for a bursary in the school
of Fordyce, for boys bearing the name of Stuart, which
endowment commenced in 1810; and there are two
other small bursaries, founded by James Murray. On
the hill of Durn are the remains of an encampment,
supposed to have been thrown up by the Danes; and
several urns, containing ashes and bones, have been
occasionally dug up in different places. But the chief
relic of antiquity is the old castle of Findlater, situated
on a rock almost surrounded by the sea, and which
appears to have been of considerable strength. The
lower apartments are cut out of the solid rock, and are
strongly arched; and on the south were formerly a
fosse and drawbridge, beyond which, at the distance of
about one hundred yards, an outwork existed, for
greater security, consisting of a fosse and rampart.
There are several chalybeate springs; but the most
celebrated is that called "John Legg's Well," which is
much frequented in summer both by natives and
strangers. Sir James Clark, Physician to Her Majesty,
and Dr. John Forbes, physician extraordinary to Prince
Albert, were educated at the parochial school.

Forfar

FORFAR, a royal burgh,
the county town, a parish,
and the seat of a presbytery,
in the county of Forfar, 70
miles (N. by E.) from Edinburgh; containing, with the
villages of Carseburn and Lunanhead, 9620 inhabitants, of
whom 8362 are in the burgh.
This place, in some ancient
documents, is noticed under
the designation of ForfarRestenneth; and in others,
Forfar and Restenneth are separately mentioned as distinct parishes, the union of which, though extremely
probable, has not been proved by any authentic evidence.
In the latter part of the seventh century, a priory was
founded at Restenneth, which became subordinate to the
abbey of Jedburgh, and of which there are still some remains on the west side of the loch of Restenneth. In this
establishment, Alexander I. deposited the public records
that had been placed by King Fergus in the abbey of
Iona, or Icolmkill, which was difficult of access; and in
1296, Robert, then prior, took the oath of fealty to
Edward I. of England. The priory appears to have
been well endowed, and to have had considerable possessions in the neighbourhood; it flourished till about
the year 1652, when the right of patronage of the
church was purchased from the prior by the magistrates and council of the burgh. Forfar appears to
have been a royal residence at a very early period.
Malcolm Canmore is said to have held parliaments in
the castle, situated on an eminence to the north of the
town, where he resided with his court; and his queen,
Margaret, had a palace on a small island in the loch of
Forfar, called the Inch, on which, for many years, the
inhabitants of the burgh were in the habit of celebrating
an annual festival in honour of her memory. In 1307,
Robert Bruce, on his route from Aberdeen to Angus,
assaulted the castle of Forfar, at that time strongly
garrisoned by the English, and, taking it by escalade,
put the whole of the garrison to the sword, and ordered
the fortifications to be levelled with the ground. In
1647, the burgesses opposed the surrender of the person
of Charles I. into the hands of the republican party,
and, through their provost, entered a warm protest
against that measure in parliament. When the city of
Dundee was taken by the army of General Monk, a
detachment of English forces was sent to Forfar, who
plundered the town, and destroyed all the charters and
public records of the burgh. Towards the close of the
17th century, frequent trials and executions for witchcraft occurred here, of which the last was in 1682: the
place of execution, a small hollow to the north of the
town, still retains the name of the "Witches Howe,"
and the iron bridle that was fastened round the head of
the victims on these occasions is yet preserved.

Burgh Seal.

The town, which is situated on the road from Aberdeen to Perth, consists of two principal and of several
smaller streets, in which are numerous well-built houses,
many of them of handsome appearance; and within the
last half century very great improvements have taken
place. The streets are lighted with gas, and the inhabitants are supplied with water from wells sunk by
subscription of individuals, aided by grants for the
purpose by the magistrates of the burgh. A subscription library is supported; there are a newsroom, and
a mechanics' reading-room, both containing a good collection of books; and a horticultural society has been
established. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the
linen manufacture; the principal articles are, sheetings,
Osnaburghs, and dowlas, in the weaving of which about
3000 persons are regularly employed in their own
dwellings. The quantity of linen annually woven is
about 14,000,000 yards, and the average value £300,000.
There are ale and beer breweries, and various shops for
the supply of the vicinity with different articles of merchandise. A very considerable increase of general traffic
has taken place since the opening of the railway between
Forfar and Arbroath, which has its terminus at the
north extremity of the town, and which was opened to
the public, for the conveyance of goods and passengers,
on the 3rd of January, 1839: the line is fifteen miles in
length, with a rise upon the whole distance of about
220 feet, and it was completed at an expense of £140,000.
In 1840, an act was obtained for increasing the capital
stock of the company. An excellent road from Forfar
to Kirriemuir, also, has been constructed, opening a
communication with a large Highland district. The
principal market is on Wednesday; and there is a
market, well supplied with provisions of all kinds, on
Saturday. Fairs are held on the last Wednesday in
February, the second in April, and the first in May, for
cattle and horses; on the day after Dunsmuir fair, in
June, for cattle; on the first Tuesday in July, for
sheep, on the Wednesday following, for cattle, and on
Thursday, for horses; on the first Wednesday in August,
for cattle; the last Wednesday in September, for horses
and cattle; and the third Wednesday in October and
the first in November, for cattle. These fairs are much
frequented by dealers from the southern counties and
from different parts of England; and on account of its
position in the very centre of the county, Forfar is remarkable for the great attendance and amount of business transacted at its Wednesday weekly market, which
indeed, from the beginning of the month of November
until the end of that of March, resembles a large fair.

The burgh, by charter of Charles II., bestowed in
the year 1665, is governed by a provost, two bailies, a
treasurer, and a town council of fifteen members. There
are five incorporated companies, the glovers, shoemakers, tailors, weavers, and hammermen, the terms
of admission to which vary considerably; the fee paid
on admission as a burgess is, for a stranger £2, and
for the son of a freeman, the husband of a freeman's
daughter, or an apprentice, £1. The jurisdiction of the
burgh extends over the whole royalty, which is about
two and a half miles in length, and half a mile in
breadth, and also over the liberties, under the charter.
The bailies hold a court for the determination of civil
pleas to any amount, in which they are assisted by an
assessor, and also a criminal court, chiefly for the trial
of petty offences, though by charter their jurisdiction
extends to capital crimes; but, from the conducting of
causes by written pleas, the expenses of process tend
greatly to diminish the number of suits in the latter.
As the county town, the sessions are regularly held
here, as well as the election of the representative in
parliament. A handsome building has been erected at
an expense of £5000, containing a sheriff's court, with
offices for the sheriff's clerk, and rooms for the juries
and for the records. The town and county hall, situated
in the centre of the town, is a neat edifice, comprising
halls for the transaction of public business, and courts
for holding the sessions; and in the same building is
the old gaol, now converted into an excellent marketplace, as, from its inadequacy as a gaol, ground was
lately purchased to the north of the town, on which a
more spacious and better arranged prison has been
erected. The burgh, with those of Montrose, Arbroath,
Brechin, and Bervie, returns one member to the imperial parliament: the elective franchise, under the Reform
act, is vested in the resident £10 householders; the
number of these is 250.

The parish, which is situated on the south side of the
valley of Strathmore, is about six miles in length, from
north to south, and five miles in breadth. The surface,
though generally level, is varied by the two hills of Balmashinar, near the town, and Lower, at its southern extremity, of which the former commands an extensive
and richly-diversified prospect: the rivers are the
Lunan and the Venny, which, though abounding in
trout, are, in their course through the parish, very inconsiderable streamlets. There were formerly three
large lakes, Restenneth, Fithie, and the loch of Forfar;
but the two first have been drained for marl, and the
last, though still a fine sheet of water, has been much
reduced in extent. The soil, with the exception of a
tract of wet clay in the south, is generally light and
dry, producing excellent crops of oats, barley, and turnips, with various other green crops. The lands are in
a good state of cultivation; the use of shell-marl found
in the lakes for manure has been almost superseded by
the use of lime, and the system of husbandry has been
greatly advanced. The rateable annual value of the
parish is £12,015. In the south-west, and also in the
eastern parts of the parish, freestone of good quality for
building is extensively wrought. From the quarries
here, has been taken the stone of which most of the
houses in the town, and the steeple of the church, are
built; and large quantities of flags for pavement, and of
thin sandstone for roofing, are sent by railroad to
Arbroath and Dundee, whence they are shipped to
various parts of the kingdom. The only mansion-house is that of Lower, built by a former earl of Northesk, and now the property of his descendants, the family
of Carnegie.

The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Forfar and synod of
Angus and Mearns. The minister's stipend is £267. 17.,
with a manse, a handsome modern building, and a glebe
valued at £20 per annum; patrons, the Town Council.
The church, originally built in 1791, and partly rebuilt,
and made more commodious, in 1836, is a plain substantial edifice, with a steeple erected in 1814, in which
are three old bells, the gift of Mr. Strang, a native of the
town, and a merchant of Stockholm; the interior contains about 1800 sittings, of which sixty-two are free.
The church of St. James was erected in 1836, at an expense of £1200, raised by subscription; and a portion
of the parish, comprising an area about a quarter of a
mile long, and of nearly equal breadth, and containing a
population of 2236, was for a short time assigned to it
as an ecclesiastical district, by authority of the presbytery. It is a neat structure, containing 1134 sittings,
of which 100 are free; and the stipend of the minister,
derived from seat-rents, is £80 per annum, to be advanced to £100 when the funds will permit. An episcopal chapel was built in 1824; it has 380 sittings, and
is under the superintendence of the Bishop of Dunkeld.
There are also places of worship for members of the
Free Church and United Secession, and for Independents; and an old house has recently been purchased,
and fitted up as a Roman Catholic chapel, in which
service is occasionally performed. The parochial school
affords instruction to about eighty children; the master
has a salary of £34, with an allowance of £8. 15. in
lieu of a house and garden, and the fees average £25
per annum. There are likewise three burgh schools,
the master of one of which has a salary of £40; the
other masters have each a school-room rent-free, but
are not in receipt of any salary. A considerable income
arises from land purchased with a bequest of Mr. Strang,
in 1650, for distribution among the poor. In the vicinity are the remains of two Roman camps, between
which a causeway was continued for some way through
this parish; and nearly at an equal distance from each,
are remains of a Pictish camp of large extent, of which
the rampart and fosse, extending from Loch Forfar to
Loch Restenneth, are said to have been formed by the
Picts under Feredith, to protect their camp from the
Scots under Alpin, prior to the battle of Restenneth.

Forfarshire

FORFARSHIRE, a maritime county, in the east of
Scotland, bounded on the north by the counties of Aberdeen and Kincardine; on the east, by the German
Ocean; on the south, by the Frith of Tay; and on the
west, by Perthshire. It lies between 56° 27' and 57°
(N. Lat.) and 2° 28' and 3° 22' (W. Long.), and is about
38½ miles in length, and 37½ in extreme breadth, comprising an area of 840 square miles, or 537,600 acres;
38,255 houses, of which 36,184 are inhabited; and containing a population of 170,520, of whom 79,375 are
males, and 91,145 females. This district, which was
formerly called Angus, is said to have received that
name from Angus, brother of Kenneth II., to whom it
was granted by that monarch, after his victory over the
Picts; and it continued for many generations to be
governed by a succession of thanes, of whom Macbeth,
the associate of Macduff, Thane of Fife, in the murder
of Duncan, was the last. The county was subsequently
governed by earls, of whom Gilchrist, the first earl,
flourished in the reign of Malcolm III., and was succeeded by his son, the second earl, who attended David I.
at the battle of the Standard, in 1138. The earldom
was, by Robert II., conferred on the Douglas family;
and at present, the shire gives the inferior title of Earl
to the Duke of Hamilton. Prior to the Reformation,
the county was included in the diocese of Brechin; it is
now in the synod of Angus and Mearns, and comprises
several presbyteries, and about fifty-five parishes. For
civil purposes it is divided into the districts of Forfar
and Dundee, in each of which towns is a resident sheriff-substitute; and it contains the royal burghs of
Forfar, which is the county town, Dundee, Arbroath,
Montrose, and Brechin, and the market-towns of Kirriemuir and Glammis, with several smaller towns and
villages. Under the act of the 2nd of William IV.,
the county returns one member to the imperial parliament.

The surface is boldly varied. Towards the north
it forms part of the Grampian range, here called the
Binchennin hills, of which Catlaw, the highest, has an
elevation of 2264 feet above the level of the sea: this
portion of the county, known as the Braes of Angus,
is a wild pastoral district, though less bold and rugged
than others in the country. Nearly parallel with these
heights are the Sidlaw hills, supposed to be a continuation of the Ochil range, and of less height than the
Binchennin, few of them attaining more than 1400 feet
above the sea. Between the two ridges is the beautiful
and fertile valley of Strathmore, called here the Howe of
Angus, extending for nearly thirty-three miles in length,
and varying from six to eight miles in breadth, diversified with gentle eminences, fruitful fields, pleasing villages, and handsome seats, surrounded with flourishing
plantations. The district between the Sidlaw hills and the
coast is a level tract of great fertility, from three to eight
miles in breadth, and in the highest state of cultivation.
The principal valleys are, Glenisla, Glenprosen, Glenesk,
Lethnot, and Clova, all of which are watered by streams
descending from the mountains. The chief rivers are
the North and South Esk, which have their sources on
the northern confines of the county. The former, issuing from Lochlee, receives the waters of the Unich,
which in its course forms numerous picturesque cascades; it then flows through the vale of Glenesk,
between banks crowned with trees of birch, into the
county of Kincardine, and falls into the sea about three
miles to the north of Montrose: its tributaries are, the Luther, the Cruick, the West Water, the Tarf, and the Mark.
The South Esk has its rise near that of the North Esk,
and, running through the centre of the county, receives
the Noran, the Lemno, the Carity, and the Prosen,
and joins the sea at Montrose. The river Isla rises to
the west of the sources of the Esks, and, after being fed
by the waters of the Meigle, the Dean, the Carbet, and
the burn of Glammis, flows westward into the Tay at
Kinclaven. The Dighty and Lunan are of inferior character, the former issues from some small lakes in the
parish of Lundie, and runs into the river Tay to the
east of Broughty-Ferry; and the latter, having its source
in the lakes of Rescobie and Balgives, flows into the
sea at Lunan bay. Most of the rivers abound with
trout and salmon, and the Lunan with eels. There are
also numerous lakes in the county, but few of them are
more than a mile in circumference; the principal are,
Lochlee, Loch Brandy, Loch Forfar, and the Lochs
Rescobie and Balgives.

About three-fifths of the land are under cultivation;
20,000 acres are woodland and plantations, and the
remainder mountain pasture and waste; the soil on the
hills is heathy moor, but in the valleys rich and fertile.
The lands have been greatly benefited by draining, and
abundant crops of every kind are raised: wheat, which
formerly was very little cultivated, is now grown in
large quantities, and of excellent quality; the various
improvements in husbandry have been generally adopted,
and the system of agriculture is in a very advanced
state. Considerable attention is paid to live stock;
numbers of sheep of various breeds are pastured on the
Grampian and Sidlaw hills, and on the former is reared
a small breed of horses called Garrons. The plantations
consist of oak, beech, birch, and other trees, which have
nearly superseded the larch; and the improvement of
the soil has adapted it to the growth of timber of all
kinds. The principal substrata are, limestone, freestone,
and sandstone of good quality for flags; the limestone
is extensively wrought in several places, but its use for
manure has in some degree been diminished by the
introduction of bone-dust, of which great quantities are
prepared at Arbroath and Dundee, and shell-marl is
found in the lakes, for the procuring of which some of
them have been drained. Lead-ore was formerly obtained
in the upper part of the parish of Lochlee, and copper-ore
has been found in the Sidlaw range. The rateable
annual value of Forfarshire is £479,268. The seats are,
Glammis Castle, Cortachie and Airlie Castles, Camperdown House, Lindertis, Isla Bank, Gray, Careston, Balnamoon, Brechin Castle, Panmure House, Kinnaird,
Dun, Rossie, Ethie, Guthrie, Dunnichen, Isla, Craigo,
Langley Park, and various others. The principal manufactures are, the weaving of linen and the coarser fabrics,
as huckaback, canvass, dowlas, sheeting, and sacking, of
which great quantities are exported; the manufacture
of fine coloured thread; and the bleaching of linen, for
which there are extensive grounds on the banks of the
several streams. Numerous mills for the spinning of
flax are in operation, driven by water and steam:
there are large tanneries, breweries, distilleries, and
other works; and ship-building is pursued at the ports
of Dundee, Arbroath, and Montrose. There are valuable fisheries along the coast, and salmon-fisheries in
the Frith of Tay. Facility of communication is afforded
by good roads in various directions, and by railways,
of which the Arbroath and Forfar railway was opened
in 1839, and the Dundee and Arbroath railway, nearly
one continued level along the coast, in 1840. There are
some remains of the cathedral of Brechin, and near
them a round tower supposed to be of Pictish origin;
the county also contains the ruins of numerous ancient
castles, of the abbey of Arbroath and similar religious
establishments, tumuli, cairns, Druidical altars, and
various other remains of antiquity, which are described
in the articles on the parishes.